weaponised - a peaky blinders story

Five

She was clearly well into her 60s, grey hair that was supposed to be tied into a bun but her frizzy flyaways were sticking up in all difforent directions. She wore a long white dress that had small pink  flowers decorating it. An extremely confused look painted her face, a broomstick in her left hand with its bristles in the air and a stick of half eaten corn in her other hand.

"Going where, love?" The old women asked as she took a bite of her corn, shaking her head as her eyebrows pinched together, she was clearly native english.

"Here?" Eve questioned the women stood in front of her, debating whether she should take her leave while she still could.

"Why would he be coming here?" The woman questioned, trying to lean against her broom and nearly slipping.

"Who are you talking about?" Evangeline question the woman, not having a clue who she was referring to.

"I don't bleeding know! You're the one asking about him!" The woman exclaimed, waving her hand that was clutching her corn around, eve was almost certain it was raw. Her theory was proven as a piece flew off and hit her above the eyebrow.

"No, I'm looking for a job." Eve explained, hoping the woman would understand.

"Oh right! Why didn't you say love?" The woman placed down her broom, pulling out a chair and sitting down, still chowing down on the corn.

"I di-" eve stopped herself, placing her fingers on the bridge of her nose and let out a deep breath. "Look, have you got any jobs available or not?"

"Right go down to the shops for me before it closes and get some milk ready for the morning." The woman told eve, losing some of her corn as it flew out of her mouth.

"Excuse me?" Eve questioned.

"Milk, ready for tomorrow, it'll be closing soon! Off you pop"

Eve looked at the woman bewildered, not understanding what was going on. "I've no money, and are you not going to ask any questions, my name?"

"Oh we can do that after! You ain't got long, there's money in the box under the counter, take that. Oh! And get me a pack of ciggys to will you?" She asked, waving eve in the direction of the money box and continuing to eat from her stick of corn.

Eve was tempted to take the money box and take off, but for some reason she couldn't bare to do it to the old woman who was clearly not completely sane. So, she took the appropriate amount of money and took off in what she hoped was the direction of the shops, not really sure where she was going.

By the time eve had gotten back with the bread and cigarettes, which she had to threaten the shop keeper for since she was underage, it was almost 9pm which meant it was pitch black. As she pushed the door open, she heard a gasp and bang.

"I ain't got nothing for you to steal!" She bellowed from the table she was sat at when eve left. This time, she had clearly just woken up, corn still clutched in her hand and a red mark on her forehead from where she had just banged her head on the table from jumping in her sleep.

"It's alright it's just me." Eve said as she walked through the cafe, finding the fridge and placing the milk inside.

"Who are you?" The woman questioned, holding up her corn as if she would throw it at eve.

"The girl you sent to the shops, for the job?" Eve turned around, raising an eyebrow at the 'weapon' the woman was yielding.

"Oh, right. Sorry love, memory's a bit whacky. Thought you'd done a runner, what took you so long?" The woman questioned, lowing her corn and going to take a bite out of it before realising there was none left, but still kept it clutched in her hand.

"Sorry, got lost." Eve said going to sit infront of the woman. "So, have I got a job?"

"Well yeah I suppose, what's yer name?" The woman questioned the girl, lighting up her cigarette.

"Scarlett Marie, and yours?" Eve lied through her teeth, refusing to trust that she wouldn't get sent straight back to the nunnery.

"Katherine, clearly. How old are you?" Katherine could be less then bothered about the conversation, puffing on her cigarettes and finally placing down the empty stick of corn, wiping off her hand in her dress.

"I'm 19, I don't suppose you'd have somewhere for me to stay?" Eve knew if she told the slightly insane woman sat across from her that she was actually only 17, she would ring the church.

"Oh you can stay with Shelly! She's a lovely girl, quite old and might be a bit smelly, but it better than nothing!" The woman exclaimed, jumping from her seat but quickly bending over slightly as she held her hip that had clearly disapproved of the way she had gotten up. Eve thanked her lucky stars for meeting Katherine, even if she was a slight bit insane.

"Brilliant! Thank you, what time should I get here?" Eve questioned her, a small smile gracing her lips.

"Oh it's alright I'll come and get you, you're not going to be far."

Shelly was a horse. The only horse that lived in the stables next to the cafe. Evangeline's new house mate was an old shabby black horse, who wasn't very fond of having to share her stable. Maybe she thanked her lucky stars a bit prematurely.